“But this is the way it’s done these days. Strange, futuristic names—Verzenio, Vyvgart, Eloquis, Eylea-HD, Dupixent—intoned over shiny happy people hiking, barbecuing, stargazing and celebrating birthdays.”

Advertising overdose, Out of the Picture, Compact Concerti, Hiromi, John Dickerson

“Purplesaurus Rex, Roarin’, Rock-A-Dile Red, Ice Blue, Island Twist, Sharkleberry Fin;”

National Poetry Month edition: Ada Limon, to get there from here, Ray Hudson, Kool-Aid dreams, Tony Hoagland.

“Rehearsing Sara’s duet one day, I sang Sky Masterson's part while I played. I remember thinking, ‘I like singing. I should find a way to do more of that.’ Forty-five years later, I did.”

Sing, Sing, Sing; Idris Khan at the Milwaukee Art Museum; Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor; Frank Almond, Storyteller; Japan Blues.

“In a few minutes, the peppy music will come on, an interval timer will buzz, and we will begin lifting, pushing, leaning, stretching, pulling and bending until the timer tells us to stop.”

Drop and Give Me 20! MSO’s Bach Fest, 100 Years of Rhapsody in Blue, Richard Serra, The Color of Film.

“On the big screen in front of me, Don Alvaro called for camaraderie in the long war ahead. On the seat beside me, the candy sang its own silent aria: "Paulo….Live for today! Seize the candy-coated moment! Moderation be damned!"

Junk Food with Giuseppe, Trollope Two Ways, Lost in Translation, M. Emmett Walsh.